State Sen. Says New Laws Will Will Reform How Police Use Cameras, Misconduct Investigations
(CBS) -- A Chicago state senator says new laws goes into effect next month that will reform how police use cameras and how misconduct is monitored and investigated, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.
Lead sponsor Senator Kwame Raoul says one measure could, with a surcharge on tickets, pay for body cams for police all across the state. And they'd better keep that camera and audio on when dealing with the public.
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"Tampering with it could create a charge of official misconduct," Raoul.
Another law would help keep officers with major disciplinary problems from jumping from one department to another. It creates a database that records when police officers are fired or quit while under investigation for misconducts.
There are provisions to make it easier to have a special prosecutor named in officer-involved shootings, and requirements for ongoing training for officers including cultural awareness. There are new rules to record "stop and frisk" occurrences and give the pedestrian stopped a receipt.
Other measures are being studied and a task force is set to report back at the end of January.
